Fluid pump or motor



P. HARTMANN FLUID PUMP OR MOTOR Jan. 20, 19 59 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 14, 1956 l 54 WAC/V70?! PHILIP HARTMANN 5y; WATTORNEV Jan. 20, 1959 P. HARTMANN 2,869,472

FLUID PUMP 0R MOTOR Filed May 14, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Illlllll //vvE)\/T0R.- PHILIP HARTMANN ax-WM ATTORNEY Jan. 20, 1959 P. HARTMANN 2,869,472

FLUID PUMP 0R MOTOR Filed May 14, 1956 s Shets-Sheet s r48 LLl nnlnnumw I MW 52. a b i 1 c. d e) I f l/vl/fA/TOR: ($&. 5 PHILIP HARTMANN ATTORNEY United FLUID PUMP GR MOTOR Philip Hartmann, Racine, Wis, assignor to Hartmann Manufacturing Company, Racine, Wis, a corporation of Wisconsin Application May 14, 1956, Serial No. 584,716

7 Claims. (Cl. 103-123) This invention relates to a fluid pump or motor and, more particularly, it relates to a fluid pump or motor of the vane type but wherein the rotor vanes are rigid on the rotor, and slidable vanes define the working chambers in the housing.

It is an object of this invention to provide a pump or motor capable of a high torque and a low R. P. M. with smooth operation thereof.

Another object of this invention is to provide a pump or motor which has a minimum friction loss in the operation thereof and is, therefore, efficient in operation.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a vane type fluid pump or motor which is sturdy in construction and particularly in the rotor vanes.

Another object is to provide a pump or motor, of the type having vanes fixed to the rotor and other vanes slioaole across the housing chamber, wherein the working parts are balanced under the pressure of the fluid. In accomplishing this object, two rotor vanes are provided and they are both equally subjected to the fluid pressure through three hundred sixty degrees of rotation and there is, therefore, no changing force on the rotor, and the slidable vanes have balanced fluid pressure in the direction which they slide and those vanes are, therefore, not required to overcome the fluid pressure in the sliding direction.

A further object of this invention is to provide a fluid pump or motor which is easily assembled and disassembled. This object is accomplished through the provision of one end plate having a flat face for abutting the housing without the requirement of nesting therewith, and

the opposite end plate has only one circular fit with the housing and that lit, therefore, is the only one required for bearing alignment of the pump shaft.

. Still a further object of this invention is to provide a fluid pump or motor of the type having fixed rotor vanes and sliding vanes, with the number of the latter being adequate to properly seal off progressively different parts of the working chamber without requirin, that the sliding vanes be rapidly operated for high pump or motor R. P. M. Thus, more than one sliding vane is provided for each fixed rotor vane so that one sliding vane can seal the chamber before the adjacent sliding vane is required to unseal to permit the passage of the rotor vane. v The foregoing, and other objects and advantages, will become apparent upon reading the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is an elevational axial view of a preferred embodiment of a pump or motor of this invention but with certain parts removed to permit viewing the interior of the embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. l, and parts are added to Fig. 2 with said parts being shown in vertical section.

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of a fragment of the rotor shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

rotor and the sliding vane.

W ream V Patented Jan. 29, 1959 Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of the cam shown in Fig. 2.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

A housing 10 is provided with an open circular interior 11 for receiving working parts of the fluid pump or motor shown. The housing has a flat annular face 12 which contains a plurality of bolt holes 13 for each receiving a bolt 14 and thereby having an end plate 15 bolted to the housing. Also, the plate 15 receives bolts 16 to secure a block member 17 to the plate 15. Fluid passageways 18 and 19 are provided in the member 17 communicated with passageways 21 and 22 provided in the plate 15. Conventional O-rings 23 and 24 are disposed as shown to fluid seal the parts mentioned. It should be noted that both the plate 15 and the member 17 are assembled in the positions shown by abutting flat faced surfaces and merely bolting thereto, and no further alignment of those pieces is required and thus the assembly and the disassembly of that end of the pump or motor. is simple and easy to accomplish.

The opposite face 26 of the housing 10 is shown to be provided with a circular shoulder 27 which aligns an end cap or member 28 having a mating portion for receiving the shoulder 27. The interior of the member 28 is hollow as shown. A plurality of bolts, such as bolt 29, secures the member 28 to the housing 10, and another O-ring 24 is employed to fluid seal therebetween.

As shown in the drawings, the interior 11 of the housing lit receives two annular pieces 31 and 32 which are secured. together by bolts 33 received in bolt holes 34 on the piece 32. To retain the pieces 31 and 32 together in a fixed rotated position, the pieces are provided with alignment pins which can be received in holes disposed parallel and similar to the bolt holes, such as the alignment holes 30 shown in Fig. 2 on the piece 32. It will be noted that the annular face 35 of the piece 31 is spaced from the plate 15, and, therefore, that dimension of the piece 31 need not be within close tolerances. However, the face as does abut the plate 15 as shown. Also, the opposite end of the piece 32 contains an annular recess 37 for a purpose mentioned later. It is important to note that the pieces 31 and 32 are like one solid piece which can be considered to be a part of the housing. Of course for machining purposes the pieces 3i and 32 are made separately as mentioned. The pieces 31 and 32 respectively contain slots or openings 38 and 39 radially di posed as shown. The slots 38 and 39 extend through the length of their respective pieces 31 and 32, and the slots of course extend from the radially inner line 51 to the circumference of the pieces, which is to the circular interior 11 of the housing 10. The pieces 31 and 32 include the central portions 49 and 45 which are circular.

Each of the eight shown sets of two aligned slots 38 and 39 snugly receives a vane 42 which is slidable axially of the pieces 31 and 32 along the line 41. An arm 43 is suitably attached to one end of each of the vanes 42 and 'to a bolt 4d. The latter carries a roller cam follower 46 while a nut 47 secures the bolt and the cam follower to the arm 43. A cam 48 is mounted on the pump or motor shaft 49 and is fixed thereto by a set screw 51, as shown. Fig. 5 shows that the cam 48 is provided with a cam track 52 in the outer circumference of the cam for receiving the cam followers 46. Since the cam rotates with the shaft 49, the cam track causes the cam followers to be reciprocated axially of the shaft 45! and thus slide the vanes 42 back and forth in the slots 38 and 39 in the rotationally fixed piece 31 and 32. Fig. 2 shows the two extreme positions of the vanes 42.

One end of the shaft 49 has a rotor 53 attached thereto with two diametrically disposed rotor vanes 54 pm.

jecting from the circumference of the rotor. The vanes 54 are rigidly attached in a fixed position to the rotor to be permanently projected as shown, and they are preferably tapered as shown to be strong and give good fluid sealing with the adjoining parts. It will be noted that the piece 31 contains a circular recess 56 in which the rotor 53 and its vanes 54 are received. Thus, the rotor and its vanes are disposed on the face 57 of the piece 32 which forms a working chamber out of the recess 56.

The sliding vanes 42 are formed with rectangular openings 58 which are the size of the vanes 54 as shown in the upper half of Fig. 2. The vanes 54 can pass through the openings 58 when the cam 43 is in the position shown in the upper half. 53, and consequently the positions of the vanes, is synchronized with the action of the cam 48 so that the vanes 54 pass through the openings 58 in the vanes 42. This action is shown in Pig. 4 where three stages of rotor vane and sliding vane positions are shown in a diagram which is a developed view at the circumference of the rotor 53. The upper view shows the rotor vanes 54 to be in an opening 53 of the sliding vanes 42, such as in the upper half of Fig. 2. At this relative position of the vanes 54, all of shown vanes 42 would be in the positions shown in the upper view of Fig. 4. .The middle view of Fig. 4 shows that the rotor vanes 54 have been rotated to a position intermediate two vanes 42 while the bottom view shows the rotor vanes 54 aligned with two other of the vanes 42. Figs. 4 and indicated points on the cam 48 and corresponding positions of the vanes 42. Thus, when the cam is rotated to position the point a shown on the cam track directly on a cam follower, the vane 42 connected to that cam follower would be in the position a shown in Fig. 4. That is a fully retracted position of the vane 42 and, of course, the diametrically opposite vane 42 would also assume the same retracted position and that is shown to be the position marked j.

As the rotor 53 rotates, the cam 48 is correspondingly rotated to where the same cam follower referred to in the a position is on the b point of the cam track and the vane 42 would then assume the 12 position of Fig. 4. Of course, the cam rotation continues and the vane 42 reaches the d, e, and f positions which are the limit of the vane projection and thus define a dwell in the cam track. It should be noted that the dwell at the phase of vane projection is greater than the dwell at the phase of vane retraction which is when the vane 42 has its opening 58 aligned with the rotor vane 54.

The shaft 49 is rotatably mounted in the unit with two bearing points consisting of needle bearings 61 and 62 located as shown in Fig. 2. Also, the cap 28 contains a fluid seal 63 having a rubber ring 64 surrounding the shaft to make the same fluid tight in a conventional manner. The piece 32 is tightly positioned within the housing to cause it to be non-rotatable therewithin, and, also, it shoulders with the housing to 64 to locate the piece 32 axially of the unit.

Referring again to the fluid passages 21 and 22, it will be noted that the piece 31. contains passages 66 and 67 which respectively align with the passages 21 and 22. The passage 66 leads to the axis of the rotor 53 which con tains a passage 68 which in turn is in communication with two passages 69 shown in Fig. 1 to open to the circumference of the rotor at diametrically opposite sides of the rotor. This arrangement thus results in the passage 18 having communication with the chamber 56 through the rotor 53.

Also, the passage 67 opens to an annular recess 71 in the piece 31 at a circle on the face of the rotor 53. The latter has two openings 72 which align with the recess 71 at all times of rotor rotation. Two passages '73 in the rotor communicate the openings 72 with the working chamber 56 but the openings 73 are on the sides of the vanes 54 opposite from the openings 69. In this Of course the rotation of the rotor manner, the passage 19 is in communication with the working chamber 56 through the rotor 53.

It will be noted that the housing is provided with a fluid drain 76 which leads to the cap 28 containing oil drains 77 and 73, all for the usual purpose of draining the working fluid which might leak out of the working chamber.

In the operation of the unit, if it is to be employed as a motor, fluid under pressure may be introduced through the inlet 18 and into the rotor opening 68. From there the fluid pressure will enter the working chamber through the two openings 69. In this instance, the pressure will be trapped between the vane 42 and the rotor vane 54 which are on opposite sides of the openings 69, as shown in Fig. 1. Thus, in the rotor position shown, the top vane 42 and the bottom vane 42 are fully projected to seal off the chamber 56 and those two vanes are in the 2 position of Figs. 4 and 5. The rotor 53 is thus caused to rotate in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1. As the rotor rotates, the sliding vanes 42 move to the positions shown in Fig. 4 while the openings 73 receive the expended fluid and allow it to enter the recess 71 and go to the outlet 19. At all time of operation, the pressure on the vanes 54 is constant and therefore the torque is constant since the vanes remain fully projected. Also, since eight sliding vanes and two rotor vanes are employed, the sliding vanes provide efficient sealing around the chamber 56 as one vane will always be scaling for each rotor vane and, at certain phases, even two vanes will be sealing, such as shown in the middle view of Fig. 4. To reverse the direction of rotation, the passages 18 and 19 could be reversed in inlet and outlet relation. Of course, if the unit were employed as a pump, then the shaft 49 would be powered.

Another important feature is found in the recognition that fluid pressure in a pump or motor unit creates a resistance on all parts which must move against the pressure during the working of the unit. For instance, where the rotor vanes slide radially in and out of the rotor as in a well-known form of unit, the fluid pressure on the face of the sliding vane presses the latter against the rotor and binds the vane to the rotor. This binding tendency must be overcome before the vane is fully retracted. Also, where sliding vanes are employed in the manner of employing the vanes 42, the edge of the vanes opposite the cam present an area which must move through the fluid and against the pressure thereof. However, in the present construction, the vanes 42 have the openings 58 subjected to fluid pressure while the edges of the vanes are not so subjected. The opposite two edges defining each opening 58 is subjected to fluid pressure but, since these two edges are of equal areas, the force on the vane is balanced in the direction of vane sliding.

Another point where the fluid pressure is balanced is in the rotor. Of course, fluid in the annular recess 71 and in the rotor opening 68 creates an axial pressure on the rotor to force it to the right in Fig. 2. To balance this pressure, an annular recess 81 is formed in the opposite face of the rotor, and the face area of the recess 81 is equal to the face area of the recess 71, and, therefore, the rotor is balanced in respect to the pressure acting in the recess 71. Also, the rotor is provided with an annular recess 82 which has a face area equal to that of the opening 68, and, therefore, the pressure in the opening 68, forcing the rotor to the right, is balanced by the pressure in the recess 82. To allow the fluid to reach the recesses 81 and 82, ports 33 and 84 communicate therewith through the passages 69 and 73, as shown in Fig. 1.

While a specific embodiment of this invention has been shown and described, it should be obvious that changes could be made in the embodiment, and the invention should, therefore, be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A fluid pump or motor comprising a housing having an interior circular chamber and a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet in communication with said chamber, a rotor rotatably mounted in said housing and disposed in said chamber, a rotor vane rigidly attached to said rotor and projecting from the circumference thereof, a shaft attached to one face of said rotor and extending axially therefrom through said housing, two spaced apart bearings in said housing for rotatably mounting said shaft in said housing, said rotor having a fluid passage on 'each side of said vane in separate communication with said chamber and said housing inlet and outlet, sliding vanes mounted in said housing and circumferentially spaced around said chamber, means connected to said vanes for moving the latter across the rotational path of said rotor for fluid sealing off said chamber, each said sliding vanes having an opening therein for the move ment of said rotor vane through said opening.

2. A fluid pump or motor of the type including a housing having a circular chamber in communication with a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet, a rotor disposed in said chamber and having a rigidly attached rotor vane and having a fluid passage on each side of said vane to be in separate communication with said inlet and said outlet, a shaft attached to said rotor, a plurality of sliding vanes disposed in said housing for reciprocating movement parallel to the axis of said shaft and alternately with said rotor vane into a plane through said circular chamber, a cam mounted on said shaft for rotation therewith, and cam followers engaged with said cam and attached to said sliding vanes, the invention characterized by each of said sliding vanes having an opening the size of the cross-section of said chamber for the rotation of said rotor vane through each said opening, said sliding vanes being disposed with each said opening exposed to fluid within said chamber and with the opposite edges of said vanes which define said opening being of equal area and equally exposed to said fluid.

3. A fluid pump or motor of the type including a housing having a circular chamber and an inlet opening and an outlet opening, a rotor concentrically disposed in said chamber and forming an annular working chamber with said housing and having fluid passages communicating said chamber and said inlet and said outlet, a shaft attached to one face of said rotor for rotatably mounting the latter in said housing, two rotor vanes rigidly attached to said rotor, the invention characterized by a plurality of sliding vanes reciprocably mounted in said housing and spaced therearound for sliding movement across said annular working chamber, a cam and cam follower engaged with said shaft for reciprocating said sliding vanes in response to rotation of said shaft, each of said sliding vanes having an opening for the snug reception of each said rotor vane upon rotation of the latter past said sliding vanes.

4. A fluid pump or motor having a circular chamber and a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet in communication with said chamber, a circular and flat faced rotor rotatably mounted in said housing and disposed in said chamber and having an axially disposed opening in one face thereof to be in communication with one of said inlet and said outlet, two diametrically opposite rotor vanes on said rotor and rigidly attached thereto, a shaft attached to the opposite face of said rotor for rotatably supporting the latter in said housing, said rotor having two diametrically opposite fluid passages from said opening therein to the circumference of said rotor on one side of said rotor vanes and said rotor having another two diametrically opposite fluid passages from the circumference thereof and on the side of said rotor vanes opposite said one side and extending to said one face of said rotor and in fluid communication with the one of said inlet and said outlet which is not in communication with said opening of said rotor, eight sliding vanes mounted in equally spacing around said chamber of said housing for reciprocating movement across the path of said rotor vanes to separately fluid seal said path at locations which said rotor vanes'are' not immediately occupying and in one "limit of movement of said sliding vanes, said sliding vanes having openings therein for the passage of said rotor vanes therethrough at the other limit of movement of said sliding vanes, a cam mounted on said shaft, a cam follower attached to each of said sliding vanes and associated with said cam for reciprocating said vanes in synchronization with said rotor vanes, said cam being formed to cause said sliding vanes to dwell at said one limit of movement of said sliding vanes for a period longer than the dwell at said other limit of movement of said sliding vanes.

5. A fluid pump or motor having a circular chamber and a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet in communication with said chamber, a circular and flat faced rotor rotatably mounted in said housing and disposed in said chamber and having an axially disposed opening in one face thereof to be in communication with one of said inlet and said outlet, two diametrically opposite rotor vanes on said rotor and rigidly attached thereto, a shaft attached to the opposite face of said rotor for rotatably supporting the latter in said housing, said rotor having two diametrically opposite fluid passages from said opening therein to the circumference of said rotor on one side of said rotor vanes and said rotor having another two diametrically opposite fluid passages from the circumference thereof and on the side of said rotor vanes opposite said one side and extending to said one face of said rotor and in fluid communication with the one of said inlet and said outlet vwhich is not in communication with said opening of said rotor, said inlet and said outlet disposed to com municate with said rotor passages at said one face of said rotor and thereby create a force on said one face through pressure of the fluid in said inlet and said outlet, said rotor having fluid ports for the flow of said fluid to said opposite face of said rotor where there is disposed two fluid openings of an area on which said fluid can counterbalance said force on said one face, a plurality of sliding vanes mounted in equal spacing around said chamber of said housing for reciprocating movement across the path of said rotor vanes to separately fluid seal said path at locations which said rotor vanes are not immediately occupying and in one limit of movement of said sliding vanes, a cam mounted on said shaft, a cam follower attached to each of said sliding vanes and associated with said cam for reciprocating said vanes in synchronization with said rotor vanes.

6. A fluid pump or motor of the type having a housing with fluid inlet and fluid outlet passages and an intermediate fluid chamber and said pump or motor having vanes with means connected thereto for sliding the latter axially of the pump or motor, comprising a rotor disposed within said housing chamber, a shaft attached to said rotor for rotatably mounting the latter in said housing, said rotor having an opening of equal area in each face thereof with one said opening in communication with one of said inlet and said outlet, said rotor having a fluid port communicating one said opening with the other said opening.

7. In a fluid pump or motor of the type having a housing and a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet and an intermediate chamber and a plurality of vanes reciprocably slidably mounted in said housing, a shaft rotatably mounted in said housing, a cam on said shaft for rotation therewith,

a cam follower connected to each of said vanes and engaged with said cam for slidably moving said vanes in response to rotation of said cam, a rotor attached to said shaft and disposed in said chamber for rotation therein, a pair of rotor vanes rigidly attached to said rotor at diametrically opposite sides thereof, said fluid inlet and said fluid outlet disposed to be in separate fluid communication with said rotor on a face thereof at one position on the axis of rotation, said rotor having fluid passages in communication with said fluid inlet and said fluid outlet for passage of fluid through said chamber, said rotor having ports separately communicating said passages with one of two fluid recesses at the face of said rotor opposite said fluid inlet and said fluid outlet, each of said recesses and said fluid inlet or said fluid outlet in communication therewith being of equal exially projected areas for creating equal and opposite axial forces on said rotor.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 90,721 Bailey June 1, 1869 

